Clouded leopards

The clouded leopard is more at home in the trees than on the ground and can move nimbly through the dense forests of southeast Asia and the eastern Himalayas. The exact numbers of this secretive cat are not known but they are believed to be in decline due to habitat loss and poaching.

Leopard

Leopard

Physical Description

The clouded leopard is named after the distinctive 'clouds' on its coat - ellipses partially edged in black, with the insides a darker colour than the background colour of the pelt.

The base of the fur is a pale yellow to rich brown, making the darker cloud-like markings look even more distinctive.

The limbs and underbelly are marked with large black ovals, and the back of its neck is conspicuously marked with two thick black bars.

The clouded leopard is a medium-sized cat, 60 to 110 cm long and weighing between 11 and 20kg.

It does, however, have an exceptionally long tail for balancing, which can be as long as the body itself, thick with black ring markings.

The clouded leopard has a stocky build and, proportionately, the longest canine teeth of any living feline.

Well adapted to forest life, the clouded leopard also has relatively short legs and broad paws which make it excellent at climbing trees and creeping through thick forest. It can climb while hanging upside-down under branches and descend tree trunks head-first.

Priority species

The clouded leopard is a WWF priority species. WWF treats priority species as one of the most ecologically, economically and/or culturally important species on our planet. And so we are working to ensure such species can live and thrive in their natural habitats.

Where does the clouded leopard live?

The clouded leopard is found across Southeast Asia and the Himalayas in the following countries: southern China, Bhutan, Nepal, northeast India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Bangladesh. It is believed to be extinct in Taiwan, China.

Throughout its range, the clouded leopard spends most of the time in the tropical evergreen rainforests but can also be found in dry tropical forests and mangrove swamps. It has been found at relatively high altitudes in the Himalayas.

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What are the main threats to the clouded leopard?

Habitat loss and defragmentation

Deforestation in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia is the most
serious threat to the clouded leopard. The species natural habitat has
been fragmented and decreasing at a rate of 10% per year since 1997.

Poaching and illegal wildlife trade

The clouded leopard is widely hunted for its teeth and decorative pelt,
and for bones for the traditional Asian medicinal trade. Clouded
leopard pelts have been reported on sale in markets in China, Burma,
Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal and Thailand. They have also been
featured on the menu of restaurants in Thailand and China which cater
to wealthy Asian tourists.

Human-leopard conflict

Like many other big cat species the clouded leopard is often killed as retaliation for killing livestock. Learn more about human-leopard conflicts.

Mr. Anusit Kanjanapol (standing, centre) leads the Royal Thai Customs Officers team who confiscated 205kg of tiger, clouded leopard and panther carcasses which would have fetched US$17,650 on the black market.